Gorilla Monsoon and Roddy Piper are in charge of commentary, broadcasting live from Miami, Florida. According to profightdb.com, the show drew a crowd of 16,000. On pay-per-view the show drew a buyrate of 2.4, the equivalent of 440,000 buys. This was an increase over the previous year’s show, which drew a 2.0 buyrate (260,000 buys).
Since the Gulf War had commenced days earlier, the WWF plays the national anthem for the crowd. Piper is also amped up, wearing a yellow ribbon around his arm for the troops watching the show from the Middle East.
Opening Contest: The Rockers defeat the Orient Express (w/Mr. Fuji) when Marty Jannetty pins Tanaka after a sunset flip at 19:15:
The Rockers, a teaming of Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty, started working together as the Midnight Rocks in Central States Wrestling in 1985. They later became a top team in the AWA, winning the tag team titles twice, and were signed by the WWF in 1987, only to be fired for partying too much. In the spring of 1988 the Rockers returned, dazzling fans with aerial maneuvers and a fast-paced style. 1990 was supposed to the Rockers coming out party but it did not go as they had hoped. The team won a house show feud against the Powers of Pain, traded wins with the first incarnation of the Orient Express on house shows (although the Rockers lost to the Express at WrestleMania VI) and were destroyed by Power & Glory at SummerSlam and Survivor Series. Despite the prominent losses, the Rockers were supposed to beat the Hart Foundation for the tag team titles the day after Survivor Series on The Main Event but during the match the top rope broke and WWF officials decided to scrap the title change by not airing it. As a result, the Rockers entered 1991 without momentum, but they still earned big reactions from fans.
These teams worked against each other in the AWA and that makes this a great opening match. In shoot interviews, Pat Tanaka says that the match was originally booked to last three minutes and when the teams went through the curtain, they were told they needed to go thirty. The pacing of the match appears to confirm that account as high spots, dives, and double teams are separated by chinlocks or deliberate strikes so the teams can regroup. For example, each team almost hits their respective finishers in the first ninety seconds of the match but ends up thwarted, with the Express regrouping after the Rockers dive onto them on the floor. While those spots keep it from five stars, each team is careful not to overuse them. One nice bit on commentary is that Piper offers a rebuttal to Monsoon’s complaint that a headlock will not pin anyone, arguing that the move is not meant to secure a pinfall or submission but to wear out the opponent for moves later. Piper also freaks out at the Rockers aerial displays like a Michaels moonsault, putting over the team’s calling card. Another fun spot in the match is when the Express try to use one of their belts to clothesline Michaels but he goes underneath it and then splashes the extended rope, sending the Express into each other. The Express are on the verge of winning when they break up a Rockers Rocket Launcher effort and send Michaels to the floor, but Michaels re-enters the ring and breaks up an attempted Express double team where Jannetty is supposed to be slingshotted into a Tanaka chop. As a result, Jannetty is slingshotted toward Tanaka, who has been bent over by a Michaels strike, allowing Jannetty to do a sunset flip and give the Rockers a victory. Great action, a hot crowd, and a fun finish put this bout in the conversation for the best opener in WWF history and, failing that, best opening match of the decade. Rating: ****¼
Sean Mooney interviews Randy Savage, who reveals that Sergeant Slaughter has told him that he is going to get the first shot at the WWF Championship if he wins tonight. Mooney asks if WWF Champion the Ultimate Warrior has agreed to it. Savage says he will soon when Sensational Sherri extracts it from the Warrior.
Sherri walks out to the interview podium with Gene Okerlund in tow. She questions the Warrior’s courage and calls him out, with the Warrior arriving in a USA jacket and red, white, and blue trunks and face paint. The segment gets into PG-13 territory as Sherri moves to seduce the champion, touching him, kissing him, and getting on her knees to beg him. However, it does not work as the Warrior screams “No!” into the microphone. Backstage, Savage breaks various objects and then charges from the backstage area, through the crowd, into the ring, and to the interview podium, but the Warrior has left by the time he arrives.
The Big Bossman (2-0) pins the Barbarian (w/Bobby Heenan) after rolling through a flying body press at 14:15:
The Barbarian was a Tongan athlete who made his wrestling debut in California in 1980. After a brief stint in World Class, the Barbarian came to Jim Crockett Promotions in 1984. Dubbed Konga the Barbarian he was part of Paul Jones’ Army, feuding with Jimmy Valiant, Manny Fernandez, and Superstar Billy Graham. He formed the tag team the Powers of Pain with the Warlord in 1987 and the duo came to the WWF in 1988. Initially booked as babyfaces, the Powers turned heel in a failed effort to tag team titles from Demolition. In 1990, the duo was broken up into singles acts prior to WrestleMania VI and Heenan purchased the Barbarian’s contract from Mr. Fuji. Not programmed into any on-screen feuds for the year, the Barbarian sported an undefeated streak in singles competition, beating Tito Santana, Shane Douglas, Battle Kat, and Saba Simba. In this bout, he served as a henchman for Heenan to stop the Bossman from extracting revenge on Heenan for comments about his mother.
The match is rough going at first, with the Barbarian taking time to regroup from the Bossman’s early salvo and the Bossman taking some time to sell a back injury from the Barbarian rams him into the ring post. Then, as if by magic, the match suddenly kicks into another gear after the Bossman bites his way out of a bearhug. The Bossman kicks out of a schoolboy rollup after a blind charge, the Barbarian kicks out of a stun gun, the Bossman puts his foot on the bottom rope to avoid being pinned by the Barbarian’s flying clothesline, and the Barbarian puts his finger on the bottom rope to avoid being pinned by the Bossman Slam. The Barbarian makes the fatal mistake of not going for a pin after spiking the Bossman with a piledriver, opting to come off the top rope with a flying body press and the Bossman rolls through to win. Heenan immediately flees to the locker room after the match, meaning that the Bossman’s quest for justice will have to wait for another day. Whereas the opener is in contention for best opener of the decade, this match could be put in competition for most surprisingly good pay-per-view bout of the decade. Rating: ***
Mooney interviews Sergeant Slaughter and General Adnan. After Adnan speaks in Arabic, Slaughter gives an amazing promo about how he will be the new leader for WWF fans and that “The Ultimate Puke” has only seconds remaining in his title reign.
Okerlund talks with the Warrior, who says that he only takes orders from his warriors. He screams about walking out of the upcoming match as the ultimate victor.
WWF Championship Match: Sergeant Slaughter (w/General Adnan) (1-0) defeats the Ultimate Warrior after an elbow drop to win the title at 12:46:
The Warrior got his start in professional wresting as part of Rick Bassman’s Powerteam USA, a group of bodybuilders that were going to take over the wrestling world. That group included future WCW star Sting, who teamed with the Warrior for a few matches as the Freedom Fighters in the CWA and the Blade Runners in Bill Watts’ UWF. The Warrior moved onto World Class, adopting the gimmick of the Dingo Warrior and capturing the World Class Tag Team Championship with Lance Von Erich. He also later won the Texas Heavyweight Championship from Bob Bradley, vacating it after signing with the WWF in 1987. His colorful look, crazed promos, and manic theme music rocketed him up the card, winning the Intercontinental Championship twice by the end of 1989. In 1990, the Warrior became the face of the company, defeating Hulk Hogan in the main event of WrestleMania VI to win the WWF Championship. Unfortunately, a main event program with Rick Rude drew poorly and the Warrior ended up as an awkward third wheel for the Legion of Doom’s feud with Demolition. A feud with Randy Savage had promise by the end of the year but even that feud had some box office problems, being outdrawn by B-level house shows on a few occasions.
It was an open question going into 1991 how much longer the WWF would keep the Warrior experiment going, but to many fans it seemed a given that the Warrior would squash Slaughter here in preparation for a bigger match at WrestleMania VII, especially given recent world events of the U.S. going to war against Iraq. The heat for this bout is insane as the crowd goes bonkers for the Warrior’s entrance and gets even louder when he knocks Slaughter and Adnan over the top rope and tears apart the Iraqi flag. Slaughter is dead to rights until Randy Savage and Sensational Sherri begin interfering. The first time, Sherri comes to ringside and holds the foot of the Warrior and when the Warrior follows, Savage blindsides him with a clothesline near the entrance and hits him with a light stand. The second time, Sherri returns to the ring after the Warrior rebounds from Slaughter working his back. The Warrior drags here into the ring and gorilla presses here onto Savage, but that is his undoing as Slaughter knees him in the back and Savage smashes his scepter over the Warrior’s head, allowing Slaughter to score the upset. Monsoon and Piper are aghast at the result, telling viewers that there is going to be a disqualification. Ring announcer Howard Finkel delays the announcement and does it haltingly, sending Piper into a fit as a shocked crowd sees the Warrior run backstage and Slaughter leave with the title. If the Warrior had been booked like he was for the bulk of this match throughout 1990, his title reign would have had a better chance at success, and it could be argued that had he won here this could have served as a big reset of his title reign. This is a match that is tough to place on a five-star scale as the match was basic but the booking around it was top notch. Rating: **½
The Mountie (w/Jimmy Hart) defeats Koko B. Ware (1-0) with a chokeslam off the ropes at 9:12:
The Mountie was Jacques Rougeau, a WWF talent who spent 1986-1990 working in the company with his brother, Raymond, as the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers. The son of famous Montreal wrestler and promoter Jacques Rougeau Sr., he began his career in Stampede Wrestling in 1977 and had a fun heel run in Memphis during the early 1980s before coming to the WWF. The Rougeaus only wrestled one match on WWF television in 1990, losing to the Bushwhackers at The Royal Rumble.
The crowd is still reeling from the shock of the previous match so this match barely gets a reaction even though Ware does his best to fire them up. The match does not inspire, with long delays between moves and Rougeau working deliberately. Its lone highlight is Hart cutting a promo on Ware’s macaw, Frankie, on the floor. The WWF gave this match too much time to the point that they had to cut it from the Coliseum Video VHS release when that tape went beyond three hours of runtime. Rating: ½*
Mooney talks with Randy Savage and Sensational Sherrin in their locker room. Savage says that the Warrior only has himself to blame because he refused to give him a title shot and Slaughter did. The Warrior is heard banging on the locker room door and everyone runs away.
After Monsoon and Piper recount all the interference needed for Slaughter to win the WWF Championship, Okerlund interviews Slaughter and General Adnan. Slaughter claims that he did what he said he was going to do while Adnan screams in Arabic and praises Allah. Afterward, a still enraged Piper floats the idea of getting into the ring and going after Slaughter’s title.
For intermission, people wish the men and women the armed forces the best in the Gulf. Monsoon says that Hulk Hogan will be making trips to U.S. military bases stateside because the Department of Defense would not let him go to Saudi Arabia.
In Rumble promos, Jake Roberts promises to cut his way through the field to get to Rick Martel. Earthquake and Jimmy Hart says he is ready for everyone in the field and has something special for Hulk Hogan. Greg Valentine promises to drop the hammer on all twenty-nine opponents. The Texas Tornado vows to win, while the Legion of Doom make a nice analogy that life is like a roller coaster and no one wants to take a ride on either of them. The Undertaker and Brother Love promise to bury all twenty-nine opponents. Hacksaw Jim Duggan says he is ready for a fight, while Rick Martel promises to shine and throw Roberts out. The British Bulldog puts over that he is happy to be a bulldog for this match. Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect and Bobby Heenan talk about his athletic acumen and how that will allow him to win a “perfect” Rumble. And Tugboat makes boat sounds, implying that he will fight Hulk Hogan if it comes down to them.
Mooney interviews Ted DiBiase & Virgil, who says his money is why Virgil serves him and does whatever he wants. He repeats the theme of the feud with the Rhodes in that he will prove that money is a better bond than blood.
Ted DiBiase & Virgil defeat Dusty & Dustin Rhodes when DiBiase pins Dusty after a schoolboy roll up at 9:57:
Virgil got his start in Memphis in 1985, working for Jerry Jarrett and later Angelo Poffo. He worked as an enhancement talent named Lucius Brown in the WWF in 1986 before being repacked as DiBiase’s bodyguard in the summer of 1987, with his ring name being a rib on Dusty, who was Jim Crockett Promotion’s head booker at the time. This bout marked the first time that he was wrestling on a pay-per-view, although fans at house shows had seen him periodically.
Dusty was finishing up his WWF run in this match, ready to go back to WCW and take over booking duties. A three-time NWA world champion, Rhodes signed with the WWF in 1989 after Turner executives freaked out over a bloody angle with the Road Warriors where they tried to take Rhodes’ eye out with a spike. Despite being forced to wear black trunks and yellow polka dots, Rhodes got over and won feuds against the Honky Tonk Man and Big Bossman. In 1990, Rhodes won most of his matches with Randy Savage, although Savage won their last two matches at SummerSlam and Saturday Night’s Main Event, contests that transitioned Rhodes from a feud with Savage to DiBiase.
His son, Dustin, had been in the business since 1988, getting his start in the Florida-based CWF and winning the Florida Heavyweight Championship the following year from Al Perez. The WWF signed him in late 1990 and gave him some wins on Prime Time Wrestling against Paul Diamond, the Genius, and Boris Zhukov. This match would mark Dustin’s last appearance in the WWF until 1995 as he would also leave with his father for WCW.
Dusty appears checked out during the entrance, happier to be teaming with his son on a big show than getting “funky like a monkey.” The story of the match is DiBiase ordering Virgil to take care of business in the ring and Virgil proving incapable of doing so. This frustrates DiBiase, who yells in the face of his bodyguard and slapping him. When a heel miscommunication spot leads to Virgil clotheslining DiBiase in the latter stages, DiBiase beats him up and tosses him to the floor. That allows an injured Dustin, whose left knee has been targeted by the heels, to give Dusty the hot tag but a blind charge allows DiBiase to roll up Dusty up to send him off to Atlanta. This would mark Dusty’s last in-ring appearance as a regular as he would make only a handful of appearances in WCW until it closed in 2001. Rating: *½
After the bout, DiBiase gets on the house mic and orders Virgil to get the Million Dollar Championship Belt and bring it into the ring. Virgil reluctantly complies but when he gets in the ring, he tosses the belt on the canvas. DiBiase warns Virgil that he needs the money for his sick mother and turns to the fans to gloat, but when he turns around, Virgil waffles him with it to a massive pop. Virgil’s facial expressions were on point throughout this segment and the match that preceded it, making this easily one of the best babyface turns in the history of professional wrestling.
Okerlund talks to Hulk Hogan, who dedicates the Rumble to all of the soldiers in the Persian Gulf. Okerlund interrupts the promo to tell Hogan that Sergeant Slaughter has defaced the American flag. According to Slaughter, Vince McMahon wanted him to burn the flag on this show but Slaughter refused to do so. Hogan warns Slaughter that his reign as WWF champion will be just like Saddam Hussein’s reign over Kuwait: only temporary.
Hulk Hogan wins the Royal Rumble after eliminating Earthquake at 65:17:
One of the glaring flaws of this Rumble is that it does not have the star power of the prior year, evidenced by the first ten entrants: Bret Hart, Dino Bravo, Greg Valentine, Paul Roma, the Texas Tornado, Rick Martel, Saba Simba, Butch, Jake Roberts, and Hercules. So basically, five tag team guys and no one in a big money program except for Martel and Roberts.
Another problem with this Rumble is that no one gets a big push by eliminating more than a few combatants at a time. There are also guys like Valentine, Hercules, and Tito Santana (Andre the Giant’s replacement) who last for forty-four, thirty-seven, and thirty minutes, respectively, but do very little of note. The ring fills up with a lot of guys for long periods and there is no one to clear out the proverbial deadwood, as was the case the previous year with Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior.
However, there are a few good things about this match. First, new stars get a push as Bret Hart draws #1, gets a big pop from the crowd, and lasts for twenty minutes before he is eliminated by the Undertaker. The Undertaker takes a beating from everyone in the ring after he shows up at #12, even taking a discus punch from the Tornado, but does not fall down. The crowd remains in awe of him, seeming to follow every deliberate move he makes in the ring, and it takes both members of the Legion of Doom to knock him out of the bout. The British Bulldog, who returned to the company at the end of the previous year, also manages to make the final four and eliminates Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect, further cementing his credibility as an upper midcarder.
Another strong point of the match is Rick Martel establishing a new iron man record in the Rumble with more than fifty-two minutes of ring time. Martel spends a lot of the match surviving eliminations and then turning the tables on those going after him. He holds onto the ropes when Simba looks to dump him, causing Simba’s momentum to take him over the top rope. Then, he gets on the apron later and dumps out his nemesis Roberts to continue their feud and live up to a promise he made going into the show. The Miami crowd makes Martel the most hated man in the match and there is a big pop in the final five when Martel makes an ill-advised decision to go to the top rope, the British Bulldog crotches him, and then the Bulldog clotheslines him to the floor.
The match also features a contender for funniest elimination in Royal Rumble history as Bushwhacker Luke screams and does the Bushwhacker arm swing down the aisle, keeps it going into the ring, and Earthquake proceeds to grab him and toss him out in four seconds. Luke appears unfazed, though, continuing his Bushwhacker march to the locker room as people laugh in the first few rows.
The three significant events of the match happen at the beginning, middle, and the end. Valentine turns face when he draws #3 and opts to attack Bravo rather than working to toss Bret. It has been speculated that the Honky Tonk Man was going to draw #2 and this would have served as a breakup angle for Rhythm & Blues, but Honky quitting forced the WWF to put Bravo as #2 because he was also managed by Jimmy Hart. Randy Savage draws #18 but never shows up, something that is explained away by Savage fleeing the building so as not to be caught by an irate Ultimate Warrior. Some argue that Savage suffered a hand injury during the WWF Championship match in the middle of the show when he caught Sensational Sherri, forcing the WWF to abort a mid-match angle where the Warrior would have charged into the ring and forced Savage to run away after jumping over the top rope, eliminating himself. The last significant event is Hulk Hogan resolving his feud with Earthquake. To get there Hogan eliminates five men: Valentine, both members of Demolition, the Warlord, and his friend Tugboat (who lives up to his pledge to go after Hogan in the match but fails to eliminate him). Hogan survives a two-on-one at the end of the match from Earthquake and Knobbs, hulking up and giving Knobbs a big boot that sends the Nasty Boy flying over the top rope and then clotheslining Earthquake out of the match after slamming the big man.
So, a lack of star power handicaps the match but a hot crowd, good booking, and some fun spots make up some of the lost ground. What has not helped the match historically is that it is wedged between two all-time great Rumbles in 1990 and 1992, so that makes people more critical of this match than is warranted. Rating: ***
After winning, Hogan brings fans signs into the crowd praising Hulkamania and speaking out against Sergeant Slaughter. Hogan also waves the American flag, a signal that his next big target is going to be WWF Champion Sergeant Slaughter.
The Last Word: From top to bottom, this was the best Royal Rumble pay-per-view that the WWF produced to this point in its history. The show had a hot opener, a surprisingly good Big Bossman-Barbarian match, a wild and controversial WWF title change, and Virgil’s awesome babyface turn. With a strong Rumble, this show would be discussed as one of the greatest WWF pay-per-views of all-time, but even with the Rumble being a downgrade over the previous edition this pay-per-view was stronger than anything the WWF put out in 1990.
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